You may or may not know that Southernmost Texas experienced its first white
Christmas in recorded history. We also broke an 1886 record for snowfall.
Although we had no heat on Christmas Eve (fuse burned out) and I was
splitting three or four contractor-size wheelbarrow loads of firewood in
the 28F, frozen rain weather, until after midnight, it was pretty. It was
also quite an experience for thousands of people who had never seen snow.

Anyway, the point of this post is to inform you that I discovered Texas
ebony (Chloroleucon ebano) can withstand at least some freezing
temperatures, even in a bonsai pot. I have one 'bonsai' that I haven't
been particularly pleased with for some time (probably because I have so
little time to work with my trees but that's changing) so I just left it
outside.

We were below freezing for well over 24 hours, with a low of around 28F. I
had set the pot on the ground but the soil was covered with sleet, snow,
and snow "pills" (I'd never heard that term) for about 8-10 hours. The
ebony was not harmed in the least; no die-back, no foliage loss, nada.
And, the Chinese-made pot didn't crack either. (We won't talk about all
the tropicals, though).

While I'm certainly not suggesting anyone with Tx ebonys routinely leave
their trees out in freezing weather, this is just one more piece of
information to dispel the inaccuracies so prevalent about this species.

I'm afraid I still just don't have the time to read the list, even in
digest form, so if anyone cares to include me in any subsequent discussion,
you'll have to contact me directly .

Rick Choate
Mission, TX

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On 30 Jan 2005 at 13:29, Rick Choate wrote:

You may or may not know that Southernmost Texas experienced its first white
Christmas in recorded history. We also broke an 1886 record for snowfall.
Although we had no heat on Christmas Eve (fuse burned out) and I was
splitting three or four contractor-size wheelbarrow loads of firewood in
the 28F, frozen rain weather, until after midnight, it was pretty. It was
also quite an experience for thousands of people who had never seen snow.

Anyway, the point of this post is to inform you that I discovered Texas
ebony (Chloroleucon ebano) can withstand at least some freezing
temperatures, even in a bonsai pot. I have one 'bonsai' that I haven't
been particularly pleased with for some time (probably because I have so
little time to work with my trees but that's changing) so I just left it
outside.

We were below freezing for well over 24 hours, with a low of around 28F. I
had set the pot on the ground but the soil was covered with sleet, snow,
and snow "pills" (I'd never heard that term) for about 8-10 hours. The
ebony was not harmed in the least; no die-back, no foliage loss, nada.
And, the Chinese-made pot didn't crack either. (We won't talk about all
the tropicals, though).

While I'm certainly not suggesting anyone with Tx ebonys routinely leave
their trees out in freezing weather, this is just one more piece of
information to dispel the inaccuracies so prevalent about this species.

I'm afraid I still just don't have the time to read the list, even in
digest form, so if anyone cares to include me in any subsequent discussion,
you'll have to contact me directly .

Rick Choate

Hey, Rick. Glad to hear from you -- even if briefly. ;-) Hope
you can soon find the time to check in on us eventually.

I have an ongoing experiment with TEs and Bougies (and to a
certain extent F. salicifolia and Serissa) as to their cold
tolerance.

We almost never get snow, but we routinely have nights into the
teens here in late December, January and February. I've kept 2
TEs and two Bougie out all year so far. The TEs and one of the
Bougies get covered with a plastic tent on the evenings of the
coldest nights (below 30). All of them endure 30-degree
weather. We have had three nights so far when temps were under
26 degrees F for 6 hours or more (hard freeze).

The one, very small, bougie that was left out in 20-degrees
(inadvertently) is, I think, dead. The TEs and the other bougie
have taken 30 uncovered with no trouble. The others, loosely
covered with a makeshift plastic tent have survive with flying
colors and the thermometer I left in there showed 24 degrees one
morning.

The Ficus and the Serissa have survived 30-32 several times, but
have come inside when things look to get worse.

All of these are small shohin (under 10 inches). Big pots
_should_ do even better.

(That large Podocarpus I brought up from South Florida the first
week in January has NOT cared for the cold -- as I feared -- and
it was in a hastily built shelter with a 100-wat bulb. I worry
about its survival. But then, all I've lost is a bit of sweat.)

This isn't necessarily a recommendation that folks leave their
"tropicals" out in freezing weather, but it is an indication
that panic isn't called for if they get chilled sometimes.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Nature
encourages no looseness, pardons no errors. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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************************************************** ******************************
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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

the soil was covered with sleet, snow, and snow "pills" BRBR

Is that the same as graupel?

Texas ebony (Chloroleucon ebano)

Is that the same as Pithecellobium flexicaule?
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"A tree never hits an automobile except in self defense." - Woody Allen

On 31 Jan 2005 at 0:25, Iris Cohen wrote:

the soil was covered with sleet, snow, and snow "pills" BRBR

Is that the same as graupel?

Texas ebony (Chloroleucon ebano)

Is that the same as Pithecellobium flexicaule?
Iris,

Rick may not check the list for a while, so I'll answer your
last question: Yes. AKA P. ebano (though I think most folks
say that is an old synonym - it's the one I learned, and still
use.)

I dunno graupel, though I COULD look it up. But since it
obviously has something to do with snow, and I don't DO snow, I
won't. ;-)

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Nature
encourages no looseness, pardons no errors. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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In a message dated 1/30/05 8:22:38 PM, writes:
AKA** P. ebano (though I think most folks say that is an old synonym

The poor plant has at least half a dozen synonyms. I will try to find the
right one.
Iris

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Jim,

You reminded me I left something out of my post. The Chinese pot in which
the ebony lives is about one and one-half inch deep.

Rick Choate
Mission, Tx

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************************************************** ******************************
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